


Just kiss the girl

by colorfuldreams



Category: The Witchlands Series - Susan Dennard
Genre: F/M, Gen, Little Mermaid gone wrong, Well maybe not so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 10:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17222168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfuldreams/pseuds/colorfuldreams
Summary: The little mermaid gone wrong. Well not so much.





	1. just kiss the girl

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic I'm uploading onto AO3 so enjoy! Also this was the first fic I ever wrote so that too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part I: Aeduan

Aeduan should have known this was going to be a bad idea. Merik, Safi, Iseult and Aeduan finally reunited in a small lagoon and they were currently planning and strategizing what to do next. So when Merik offered a break, he gladly took it, hoping for some alone time with his blades. What he had gotten instead was a blindfold and Merik leading him to a place with wet sand and sounds of water lapping up against rocks. 

“Just a couple steps more and you’ll be there for your special surprise!” Merik said, guiding him. He could hear the smirk in the Nubrevnan’s gruff voice. His foot banged against something hard before Merik yelled out to lift his legs in and sit. He could feel what he thought was rotted or soggy wood as he stumbled around to find a seat.  Aeduan reached up to remove his blindfold to at least get his vision back and figure out what was happening when Merik told him to stop and not take the blindfold out until he was told to do so. So this is what iIve been reduced to he thought to himself as a frown set into his face, completing his grumpy persona. Although, he was grumpy all the time so this was also his natural look. He sat quite impatiently, so much so that when his leg started jiggling up and down he shook the thing he was sitting in. 

And then, he hears voices. Female voices. More specifically, the one that’s been constantly in his mind from the day she spoke to him. He could hear and feel her and her threadsister, Safi, shuffling towards where he was sitting. The wind also picked up, and he assumed that Merik’s witchery was acting up from Safi being there. Love-struck fool he thought as the thing he was sitting on swayed side to side from a weight trying to settle in. A boat. A boat is what I am sitting on he realized, suffocating the urge to slap himself because he didn’t figure it out sooner. He let out a slight growl in his frustrations but that must have been enough for Iseult to recognize him.

“Aeduan?” her voice rang out and he could feel her warmth all around him, indicating how close they were sitting. Before he could conjure up a response, he felt a hard push on the boat, swaying as it made its way deep into the water. In an instant, he ripped off his blindfold and threw it into the water, looking around to assess his surroundings, but what he saw was shockingly gorgeous. All around him was water deep midnight blue and teal swirling together with specks of dust that made it seem like a galaxy of stars. Thick, mud-covered trees took root into the water with emerald green leaves and branches weaving in and out above them. Little fishes and creatures scattered around the water and the moss-covered rocks. And in the center of everything was Iseult. When his eyes finally caught sight of her, he couldn’t breathe. Her midnight hair falling just to her shoulders glowed and her shocked eyes fluttered around and it was all of sudden too much for Aeduan. The light in her eyes, the way her face moved ever so slightly trying to keep her emotions and wonder in check became his sole focus. She was still as deadly as ever but the way she looked right now made him even more attracted to her. Iseult det Midenzi was beautiful. Her beauty, her strength, just her everything, had him in a chokehold and she wouldn’t let go until he begged for mercy. In quick movement, Iseult looked up and into his eyes and he thought this is it. i’m going to forego everything and kiss her, right now. But in a flash, they were snapped out of their trance, as a jazzy tone floated out. Both of them snapped up, Aeduan’s hands going to his sword and his eyes scanning his surrounding. Suddenly, a blonde popped out from behind singing… kiss the girl from little mermaid?

“There you see her.  
 Sitting there across the way,” Safi sang. Well if you could call it that. Her voice resembled somewhat between a duck quacking and a goose screeching. When he looked over at Iseult, he saw her visibly flinching at the sound of her voice.   
“She don’t got a lot to say   
but there something about her,” she continued, bongos and flutes ringing out from all around them.  
 “And you don’t know why  
 but you’re dying to try,” she continued with almost a choir of people with equally gruff voices, “go on and kiss the girl.” Aeduan looked up at Iseult and felt his face heat up as he tried to look somewhere else.

A boat filled with people popped out from beside them, containing Merik’s sailors and of course, Merik himself trying his shot at singing. “Yes, you want her, “ he went on “Look at her, you know you do.” Luckily for their Iseult and Aeduan’s ears, he could sing. His voice was much deeper and a little bit rough, like the grit sandpaper. “Possible she wants you too, there is one way to ask her,” Merik went on and winked at Aeduan causing his anger to simmer. “It don’t take a word, not a single word go on and kiss the girl” he sang out as what seemed like the entire lagoon sang the chorus together like an orchestra.

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la,  
 my, oh my,   
looks like the boys too shy!   
Ain’t gonna kiss the girl” Merik sang with Safi’s duck voice, and the sailors joining in. Thank god for the rest of them drowning out Safi’s voice. 

“Sha la la la la la  
Ain't that sad?  
Ain't it a shame? Too bad  
He gonna miss the girl” Merik sang out and with that their boat took into a different direction, leaving the music behind and isolating Iseult and Aeduan. He gritted his teeth and settled his face into his signature scowl, refusing to look at Iseult as he would be too captivated as he rowed them back to the shore.


	2. he gonna miss the girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II: Merik

When Safiya had said they were going to a Little Mermaid reenactment, Merik never thought he would be IN the reenactment. And yet here he was, orchestrating a children’s movie scene in the middle of a lagoon while Safiya was fighting what looked like a violent war with a couple of streamers. He was currently trying to find the boats that were stuffed away in the cave of supplies he had kept ready in case they had to escape. It was safe to say he would have never thought to use these in Safi’s “Let’s get our two idiots together because they are stupid to see how they are not in love” plan. That’s what she actually called it when she had come up to him with the idea. He was originally trying to find a better compass and maps in his storage when Safi came up to him and yanked one his clothes like a 5 year old asking for ice cream. Noden help him, she was cute. Persistent and stubborn and could definitely kill him yet in moments like this she look adorable. She begged and begged to help her reenact “Just kiss the girl” from the Little Mermaid. 

“Okay so after that, put them on a boat and we can just serenade them into admitting their thrice damned feelings” she explained, her eyes huge and her hands flying around trying to explain her huge plan.  
“Aeduan would not be happy with this plan at all. And how will I get him into the boat? Convincing that man is like trying to convince a rock to speak!” He exclaimed, bewildered at her plans.   
“Just get him into the boat somehow! I’ll do anything for you after Merik! Merik Nihar, I beg you, please please please! I will get on my knees if you would want” her dramatic ass self screamed out, almost getting on her knees when he caught her arm pulling her up, rolling his eyes.   
“Okay okay okay, calm down domna. I’ll try to get him” he said chuckling at her. Her eyes glittered and a smile stretched across her face, her mood changing in less than 1/5 seconds. And in the same time it took for her to change her mood, she leaned over and pecked him on the lips and ran away into the other room. And he was left there, shocked and smiling. His fingers ghosted over his lips remembering the feel of her lips, savoring it for a moment. He stood there silent and then snapped back trying to find the supplies she asked for. 

“Merik… can you help me for a moment? I’m sort of… stuck” a voice rang out snapping him back from his thoughts. Merik turned back to where Safiya stood… well except there was no Safi. She was replaced with a bundle of color with tan limbs popping out from all over the place, flailing all over the place. This was not how he thought he was going to spend the break they were taking from strategizing. They had spent the whole 2 weeks planning without a break as these were crucial moments. Precious time that  they would not get once they split up. But it’s in moments like this where he did not want to return.  It’s not that he didn’t want to think about his return to his kingdom. It’s about how much he’s suffering from the proximity of Safiya. He spent almost a year away from her yet Safi’s thoughts, her face, her hands, her lips consumed his mind. The thought about meeting her again, it pounded away at him, it scared him. He was not the man that she left behind. He was scarred beyond recognition and he was scared, so sacred about how Safi would react to seeing him, The Fury. And that’s what made him stay away from Safi. Although he knows Safi won’t judge him, that she would abandon him, his mind is telling him to stay away. That it’s best for her not to get involved with him. But to do that, he was ripping out his own heart. 

When he first saw her, his stride slowed and suddenly he couldn’t move because his mind was a chorus of She’s here, She’s here, She’s here, She’s here. She’s finally here, in front of you and look at her.  But he couldn’t say anything to her as his mind was also whispering his fears to him, seeing her shocked face. She think’s you’re gross, you’re disgusting. Why would a woman like her ever want you, a broken, scarred, ugly man.  So he ignored her. He distanced himself so far away. He wouldn’t let himself near her. Yet his heart made him feel her presence everywhere. All around him, her scent, her witchery, her eyes.

“Merik are you there? Weasel’s piss on these thrice damned streamers. I’m just trying to do something nice but nooo, they really want to ruin this. Merik Nihar, are you listening! Get on your feet and help me dammit!” she screamed, tangling herself more and more.

“Yes, wait one second. Stop moving so I can get near you to try to get these off” Merik shook his head and moved towards the flailing mass. 

“Okay, okay. Please just help me out a bit” she sighed. He started ripping off the streamers slowly trying, and failing, not to rip them. His fingers kept brushing against her caramel skin. He moved quickly trying to get them off her head, all the while reveling at her and wondering how the hell she ends up in this mess. As he took off the colored streams, he could feel her eyes following his moves. Heat crept to his face and shivers ran down his back, his mind and heart constantly screaming at him to notice her face, her eyes, her lips. He snuck a look up at her face and his breath was gone. The only thing he could feel was how close she was and the thundering of his heart. His mind was shut down, blank from having her so close to him. And he let himself indulge in her, telling himself that this is his last time. But it never is. It never is going to be. Merik Nihar could never get enough of her. And he will never get over her constant presence, watching over him, giving him commentary. When he thought he was never coming back from this, his eyes find hers. Her eyes, stark blue and he can see deep into them. Her face is startlingly innocent as she studies him the same way he does. And she moves closer to his face, slowly biting her lips and this is where he loses it. I want to kiss her, kiss her, kiss her. Just do it. Feel her lips once more. Don’t lose this chance. But Safi must have sensed this battle in him and her face flicked from sadness.

“I think I can do it by myself. Thank you” she whispered, as she retreated away from him. And suddenly his mind geared back into life telling him it’s for the better, it’s for the greater good. Stay away from Safiya For Hasstrel. It’s all for her good. But he couldn’t help but feel that he lost a chance. 


	3. possible she wants you too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part III: Iseult

Iseult never had never felt peace like this. Ever since she met Safi, her life had become a never-ending whirlwind. Not that she doesn’t like that, it’s just that she would also like the quiet times. But being on the run, didn’t have time for peaceful moments. They didn’t have time to stop and look at the flowers when the bloodwitch was after them. The same one that was rowing the wooden boat she was sitting on. 

She snuck a quick look up to Aeduan, watching him rowing. As the water sloshed up and down, her mind wandered to the Aeduan from when he worked for the guild master. The one that scared her, the one she fought to no end and still refused to give up. The one who would sell someone out for money. He was so different from the one sitting in front of him yet still the same. His face, his clothing, his body was all the same. He was the same in appearance. But when she looked closer, she could see the softening of his face, the hidden pain. She could ever forget the face he made when she had said his name out loud. The planes of his face softened and she recognized hope. She also recognized the sadness buried deep down within him. But it was hard to reach down there and tell him that it’s alright. That she’s here with him.

“Let’s not go back to the shore. Let’s… take the boat ride. It’s not often that we get peace like this and the lagoon looks gorgeous.” Isuelt said, looking away into the vibrant water, her voice standing out from the water lapping back and forth. Moments pass and she could feel Aeduan’s gaze on her face as he stopped rowing for a moment. With the noise from rowing taken away all she could here was the sounds of the creatures and her brain constantly screaming Aeduan looking at you, he’s looking at you, looking at you.

“Okay, “ he states, starting to row again, this time deeper into the lagoon. She continued studying the water, thinking about everything happening to her right now. 

“I can’t believe Safi did this,” Iseult snorted, shaking her head. “ I could probably live without ever hearing her sing again.” She started laughing remember Safi singing out, sitting on the boulder wedged in the water earlier. Of course in that moment she didn’t get to revel in the hilarity of the moment due to the anger simmering up in her. She loved her threadsister to the ends of the heavens but she hated Safi trying to push Aeduan into kissing her. As if she would ever like him doing that. Stop lying. Everyone already knows you have thought about not only his lips but also taking a tumble in the sheets with him multiple times. A shiver ran down her spine just thinking about it. But no, she decided to classify what she felt only as a moment of weakness.

“She sure something. Did you know how bad she sang before this?” Aeduan mumbled out, looking up at her, the corners of his lips tugging up. 

“Oh yeah I knew. Once she was trying to impress one of the boys in the city so she decided to sing for them . Trust me when I say, she never say them again.” she explained, struggling to keep her face straight until she just gave up and a put on a smile across her face. It’s just Aeduan. You can let down your facade every once in a while she assured herself.

“Looks like she didn’t drive one guy away.” he chuckles. 

“Trust me, it would take a lot more than a horrible singing voice to drive Merik away from Safi. You should have seen them when Merik was still a captain. Even though I was sick and drained, I could see their threads pretty much leaping at each other when they were around each other. I’ve always wanted something like that.” Iseult mused, thinking somehow that those were simpler days. It was way more complicated situation than normal but compared to where they were at know, it was all simpler. 

“Why haven’t you found someone then, Threadwitch?” Aeduan asked, confusion masking his face.

“I- don’t know. I’ve never had the time to go search. I’ve always wanted companionship, someone one to be with me through it all. Someone I can count on. I want someone to be there for me.” she replied, sighing and looking down at her feet.

“I, uh, hope you find what you are looking for,” Aeduan said, his voice suddenly sounding tight. Iseult glanced up at his face and into his eyes. And then suddenly a realization jolted through her. She could feel it in every nerve end, every inch of her skin. I’ve been searching for something that’s been sitting in front of me all along. I’ve been searching for him.


	4. until you kiss the girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part IV: Safiya

There was very few things Safiya was sure of. Number one: Empress Vaness most definitely did not enjoy her jokes. Number two: Merik Nihar, the handsome bastard, was avoiding her and she had no idea why. Number three: Iseult was definitely going to cut her into pieces of human fillet when she comes back from her oh so romantic boat ride with her bloodthirsty cutie. But currently, she feels like the threat of being brutally murdered by her sister is no where near the pain she feels from her handsome bastard ignoring her. And goddamn it, her name isn’t Safiya fon Hasstrel if she doesn’t find out why. 

As Safi alternated between taking down the godforsaken streamers handing from the trees surrounding the lagoon and sneaking looks at Merik, she thought about how much he changed. He was more reserved, quiet around her. He didn’t even give her a smile when she did her little antics. And god, did she try to get him to talk to her. Every day, she would go to Iseult with an elaborate plan to get him to notice her. And everyday, she would return to her bed, in the verge of tears. And then there was his more obvious difference. Scars were carved into his skin and god, all she could think about was how much pain he went through for her. She can’t help but flinch when she sees them because she remembers that she is the cause of the pain he had to go through. That’s probably why he isn’t talking to her. Maybe he’s angry for ruining his body, his life. This was her fault and, this was the one thing she didn’t know how to fix.

But then every once in a while, she could see his old self somewhere deep in him, fighting to be seen. She can feel it when his gaze lingers on her. She can feel it when he follows her moves when he thinks she’s not aware. And the one time, she caught him and fell into the trap of his gorgeous eyes, she could feel it reaching out to her. She saw so much pain and sadness in his eyes, so much that she doesn’t know how to make it up to him. She doesn’t know what to do to get him back to her. So she continues on, throwing herself into her work, throwing herself into figuring out where she fits into this elaborate scheme. 

Speaking of elaborate schemes, you really outdid yourself this time she gave herself a mental pat on the back, smirking as she imagined her threadsister’s face when she saw her beloved bloodwitch sitting across from her. Out of all her elaborate schemes, this one was her best work. Did Iseult really think that she wouldn’t see through her blatant lies when she told her that Aeduan meant nothing to him? Did she really think she wouldn’t see the literal heart eyes emanating from Aeduan when Iseult was around? Did she really think that she couldn’t see the fleeting looks the cast on each other or the secret smiles they share?

When she first found Iseult was working with him, she must admit, she overreacted just a tad. And by a tad she means hitting Iseult repeatedly in the face while yelling at her for making a stupid decision. She was going to walk over to that brooding mess and smack the truth out of him. And then she calmed down and noticed. Noticed Aeduan’s eyes light up when Iseult walks in. Noticed the heated eye contact they would share, almost like they were having a telepathic conversation. And how Aeduan can read the minor changes in her face, something that was hard to do if you didn’t know her. She, of course, took measures in making sure he wasn’t going to hurt her, making sure that he was truthful to her. The said measures may or may not have included tying him to a chair, flashing a light into his eyes while literally grilling him, but Iseult doesn’t need to know about that.

As her feet danced on the slippery, moss covered rocks as she continued to clean, her mind wandered away, making sure to push the thoughts of Merik deep down into her heart where she couldn’t reach. Goddamn these streamers. Damn them to the deepest circle of hell. Almost done, you only have a couple more to take down and you’re done. She assured herself this multiple times but of course the thrice damned streamers would not come down without a fight. The last piece was tied onto a branch covered in moss making it almost impossible for her to get a grip. 

Almost… almost there Safi.. if you could just reach a bit higher... She swipes up to try and catch the end, like a cat swiping at a thread hanging from above it. One more leap, just one more and you’ll catch it. She leaps up once more, not only failing to catch the streamers but also failing to fall back on to solid ground. 

Water flies everywhere as her body hits the ice cold water. Her dress balloons up a bit and weighs her down slightly as she struggles in the water, the air almost knocked out of her. Her hair is mangled everywhere and panic fills her chest, her lungs as she opens her eyes and it stings as all she can see is blurriness so she shuts them as tight as she can, her eyes burning. Her arms flail is a panicked attempt to get to the surface, to get some air. air. She doesn’t have enough air, she can’t breathe, she needs air, air, air. All of a sudden strong arms her lifting her up, up, up until her head breaks the surface. She gasps in air and chokes out water that’s clogging her up from breathing, while shuddering from the cold water, trying to get closer to the source of the arms to steal off the heat. Her breathing is labored as she finally opens her eyes, struggling to focus for a moment,  to be greeted with his face. His face, it’s.. so close. It’s so close that she could feel his breath on her face and his chest moving as he catches his breath. He’s so close that she can see the scars that line his face, a painful reminder. It’s so close that she could see the panic, the fear in his eyes. She’s so close, and she doesn’t know what to do, what to say, so she doesn’t. She stays like that, in his arms, drenched in water, with hair flying everywhere. He draws her closer, just the slightest, and she’s just as breathless as before.

He mistakes her breathlessness for panic as he whispers to her to “Breathe. Just breathe. I need you to breathe for me. Look into my eyes and breathe. You’re okay, you’re in my arms, just breathe.”His face moves closer and that’s it, that’s all she needs to lose her breath again. That’s all she needs for her to get lost in his eyes, his scent, his warmth.He’s her protection, her home, where she feels right and like herself. He is the one place where she can go to forget her problems and just feel safe again, like when she was little. He’s Merik Nihar, and she’s in love with him, his eyes, his actions. I’m in love with him Her mind reels with this realization and she lifts her hands, cold, wet and pruney, and places it on his face, cupping it. 

“Why? Why do you avoid me like this? Why do you look at me and flinch? Why do you push me away only to come and save me like this? Look into my eyes, Merik and tell me, please” she begs him, her voice, a quiet whisper as her body quivers within his embrace. His face crumbles as he holds her tighter, and she looks to him as his eyes plunge into despair.   
“It’s because…,” he starts, taking a breath in, “It’s because when I look at you all I can think about is how much i love you, how much i want you to be mine, how much i want you to be next to me. But i can’t do any of this, because you deserve better Safiya. You deserve a man who can love you and take care of you better than I can. I am too broken, too scared. You deserve better than this, better than what I can offer to you. So I avoided your eyes, avoided your advances because when I look at you it scares me. It scares me how much I love you and how much I want to protect you.” He lets a deep breath out and looks at her with so much emotion in his eyes that she can’t process. It’s all too much, everything he’s saying is too much. It can’t be true… he.. he loves me. he loves me. It repeats through her mind like a chant, each time growing with more intensity and she feels like she’s underwater again. Her chest is brining with thought and she feels ready to burst. There is so much she wants to say, so much she wants to do, but she can’t. So she does what she’s wanted to do since the moment she say him again. Safiya leans in, water sloshing around her, and kisses him.

And that’s all it takes for both of them to unravel, as he drags her closer into him and there is virtually no space between them. Her arms wrap around his neck, and they deepen the kiss and it’s a blissful moment, as everything is set right again. It’s like they are the only ones there in this moment, that all their problems, their worries have been tossed aside. They fit perfectly together and as they pull apart, all she can think is damn, I’ve never been more thankful to those streamers. 


End file.
